Beyond Utopia

A suspenseful, riveting portrait of the lengths people will go to gain freedom, Beyond Utopia follows various individuals as they attempt to flee North Korea, a land they grew up believing was a paradise. At the film’s core is a courageous pastor, a man of God on a mission to help a mother reunite with the child she was forced to leave behind, and a family of five embarking on a treacherous journey into the hostile mountains of China and through southeast Asia. Gripping, thrilling, and never more timely, Madeleine Gavin’s award-winning film embeds the viewer with the subjects as they attempt their perilous escape, palpably conveying life-or-death stakes.